Letter sets father-son fishing trip in motion

Courtesy of Laurie Reiners John Reiners, left, and his father Laurie hold up two fish they caught at Dale Hollow Lake.

Courtesy of Laurie Reiners John Reiners and his father Laurie before their trip to Dale Hollow Lake.

Courtesy of Laurie Reiners Laurie Reiners and his son John hold up some fish they caught at Dale Hollow Lake.

Courtesy of Laurie Reiners This Father's Day card was sent to Laurie Reiners in 2013 and contained a letter outlining a future fishing trip, a map of the lake and money to set aside for the trip.

A recent trip to Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee was the culmination of a year’s work of planning, research, placing phone calls and otherwise trying to create the ultimate fishing excursion for a Sun City man.

The work that turned into the first of what is hoped to be many annual father-son fishing trips actually began on Father’s Day 2013, when Laurie Reiners received a card in the mail from his son John, who lives in Kentucky.

Printed on the card was a picture of the two from an earlier fishing trip, along with a letter inside outlining a future trip.

“It was very humbling to have something like this come to you in the mail,” Laurie said. “John and I became good fishermen in South Dakota. We fished a lot and always enjoyed our time together.”

With the letter, John included a map of Dale Hollow Lake, some money to set aside for the trip and the promise of more to come to help their dream become reality.

“I remember one time the song ‘Cat’s In the Cradle’ came on the radio, and my dad told me to listen to the song, and he told me about it,” John recalled over the phone. “He said that he never wanted that to happen to us. As you get a career, and a wife and a family, he didn’t want us to grow apart because he enjoyed hanging out with me. I took that to heart.

“I’ve always remembered that and have made an effort to make sure I have time for my folks. My dad is my best male friend, and this was just something you’d want to do with your best friend.”

Setting the stage

Making time for each other and for the family was a theme in the Reiners’ household for many years. While his wife Glenda stayed home and provided a family atmosphere for the children, Laurie worked for Sears during many of their good years, before moving on in the late 1980s.

“My father and I had a good relationship after I became an adult,” Laurie said. “But he worked so much when I was young and we didn’t do much together. He didn’t have any hobbies because he had to work and make a living.

“I always knew I would like to have children and spend time with them and make an effort to not miss anything. We always had an evening meal together as a family, and sometimes it wasn’t until 8 p.m. or later. I made that effort and would oftentimes go back to the office after dinner, but I don’t think the kids knew. I didn’t want them to feel like they were imposing.”

Laurie’s children, or John at least, did know about this practice.

“Yeah, I remember he’d have to go back to the office sometimes after dinner,” John said. “But we’d always drop what we were doing to have dinner, no matter what time it was.

“That stuck in my head and made an impression on me.”

Laurie also thought back to a time when John was in third grade, and his teacher called him up to take a look at a project John had done — a series of short writings on his family, his house, his mom and dad.

“I knew the teacher well. He called me one day and asked me to stop by,” he said. “He showed me a series of papers (John) had written for a project, called ‘My Dad,’ where he wrote, ‘My dad is the first dad to leave the home in the morning and he’s the last dad to get home at night, but he always makes time to take me fishing and hunting.’

“Oh God, I remember crying when I first read that. I think it just typified the kind of special person John was and always has been. It overwhelmed me and hit me hard. It still does to this day.”

Dale Hollow Lake

John recalled why he decided to send his father the letter with its contents to set in motion the first of hopefully many trips to Dale Hollow.

“Growing up, dad and I always played baseball and catch,” he said. “He was busy, but he always made the time to do those things with me.

“We had talked about going on a Canadian fishing trip before, but Hollow Lake seemed to fit the bill. Dad and I are a kind of friendly-competitive with each other. Everything we do we kind of make a contest and we love it.”

While John wanted to give back to the father who was always there for him, Laurie wanted to see his son catch a trophy-size smallmouth bass — something he had never seen John do.

“I caught two smallmouth the first day, and the biggest thing for me is I wanted to see John catch a trophy-sized smallmouth,” he said. “He got a trophy catfish the first day, but no smallmouth.

“Late in the second day we had get off the lake because of a storm, and no sooner had our guide told us that and John caught his first trophy smallmouth. I couldn’t have been happier.”

Looking back, looking forward

Laurie said as far as he and John are concerned, catching fish is just an added bonus when the two go fishing together.

“We’ve seen some incredible things fishing,” he said. “One time we saw a bald eagle fight off two large black birds and just soar back to it its nest. Another time we saw a doe swim to an island with her fawns, and watched her nudge them back onto shore.

“Just to partake in these incredible things in nature with John is unreal and a real gift. They make these fishing trips special, and if we didn’t catch any fish it would be just as special. Catching the fish is just the icing on the cake.”

John agreed with his father.

“Our guide said it was rare for a father and son like that to come along,” he said. “It was one of the best times we’ve ever had and would’ve been so even if we didn’t catch anything, just being with him out there in nature is a special time.

“I still find myself looking through the photos every day, and we continue to strategize regarding our next trip. It’s like having filet mignon for the first time. Once you get it, you want to continue having it.”

Asked to reflect back on the challenges of balancing work, family, children and life, Laurie pondered for a moment before giving a straightforward answer.

“I don’t think I’m qualified to give advice on that,” he said. “There is no handbook, and each situation is different.

“Mostly, just set a damn good example. It’s hard to be one thing and tell the kids to be something different. I think I’ve had my shortcomings here and there, but I’m comfortable saying I think I did my best.”